11.10.08 by The Crimson White

LIFESTYLES

Monday, November 10, 2008

‘RocknRolla’ unremarkable

DONʼT FORGET: BEAT AUBURN, BEAT HUNGER

Serving the University of Alabama since 1894

Vol. 115, Issue 54

Domeward Bound

CW | Drew Hooverer

Johnson’s three interceptions lead Tide past Tigers in overtime By Ryan Wright Sports Editor

Alabama used head coach Nick Saban’s long-awaited return to Baton Rouge, La., to set a date in Atlanta. As if the lead up wasn’t dramatic enough, the No. 1 Crimson Tide needed an overtime session to scrape by defending national champion LSU 27-21 and clinch the SEC West.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak to the Tigers and gave Saban his first win against his former team in front of 93,039, the largest crowd in the history of Tiger Stadium. After Leigh Tiffin’s potential gamewinning field goal was blocked in the waning seconds of regulation, safety Rashad Johnson recorded his third interception of the game in overtime to set up Alabama’s game-winning touchdown.

Holiday service options abound in Tuscaloosa By Jessie Gable Staff Reporter With the less than perfect economy and upcoming holiday season, there is a greater need than ever to help out in the community. Several Tuscaloosa charities are offering new ways for students to team up with their friends to help out the underprivileged. One organization, Eagles Wings Inc., a center for mentally handicapped adults, offers students the opportunity to throw a party for the center’s clients, said Connie Stokes, community relations director of Eagles’ Wings. Stokes said students could get together and sponsor a holiday party for their clients. Each party would include food and entertainment for the 13 clients at Eagles’ Wings. Also, the clients are learning to play sports and always need

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TODAY

young, able-bodied people to play basketball and soccer with them. Arts and Sciences students can use their skills to teach one of the clients, too. Stokes said Eagles’ Wings was always looking for volunteers to teach dance, music, karate and other kinds of lessons to clients. Because college students are usually the last people with extra money, there are other things that can be donated other than food and clothes. Eagles’ Wings clients have started a recycling project and are always taking empty ink cartridges and soda cans to recycle. Other organizations, such as the West Alabama Animal Shelter, are in need of less expensive items. Jennifer Earp, adoption counselor for the shelter, said they always need old towels, toys, cleaning supplies and food

See HOLIDAY, page 2

INSIDE Today’s paper

Opinions: Faces of politics are changing ...........4

Clear

UA students hang out with Tim Gunn .........6

65º/43º

Movie Review: RocknRolla............... 8

Tuesday

67º/50º

Chance of thunderstorms

Wednesday

Thunderstorms

65º/56º

Check out photos from the game gainst LSU..9 Womenʼs basketball takes down UWA ........... 10 Q & A with ESPNʼs Gameday crew ...... 12

P.O. Box 870170 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 Newsroom: 348-6144 | Fax: 348-4116 | Advertising: 348-7845 | Classifieds: 348-7355 Letters, op-eds: letters@cw.ua.edu Press releases, announcements: news@cw.ua.edu

Johnson snagged LSU quarterback Jarrett Lee’s fourth interception of the night in the corner of the end zone to end the Tiger’s only overtime possession. John Parker Wilson connected with Julio Jones on a 24-yard hook up on Alabama’s first play in overtime to set up first and goal from the 1-yard line. Two plays later Wilson punched it in on a keeper to quiet

See TIDE, page 12

SEC Championship game tickets on sale this week By Brett Bralley News Editor

To enter their names on the request list students must visit the ticket office in Starting today, students Coleman Coliseum from 9 a.m. will be able to enter them- to 5 p.m. today or Tuesday. If selves in a request list for SEC the number of student ticket Championship game tickets, requests exceeds the number according to an e-mail sent out by the University. See TICKETS, page 2

Fall ARDT performances start tonight Laura Fenton Contributing Writer Sitting on the right side of the stage, she reads his letter. The stage is dark with rich red hues and a spotlight upon her. Dressed in black with his white button-down shirt atop her clothing, she is overcome with emotion. On the remaining area of the stage, another dancer moves to the ballad, expressing the inner turmoil the letter’s words have created. A moment after the ballad ends, numerous dancers strut to the sassier tune of “Mercy” by Duffy. As the all-female cast of this girl-power piece moves on and off stage, the white shirt travels from dancer to dancer. “She [Alicia Okouchi-Guy] wanted it to be obvious that the shirt is traveling,” said Ashley Young, a senior majoring in dance and English. “Every girl has gone through the same things in relationships, so the shirt represents that.” This piece is arranged by Okouchi-Guy, a guest choreographer, and is one of six dances in this year’s Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre Fall Concert. Okouchi-Guy visited from Chapman University in southern California to work with UA students. She is a professional choreographer and has worked with television, film, NBA and NFL pro dance teams and MTV. This year’s fall show features choreography ranging from traditional ballet to innovative modern

See ARDT, page 7

CW | Drew Hoover UA dance students practice the piece “Mercy” in preparation for the Alabama Repertory Dance Theatreʼs fall performance.

Greek affairs director guides students By Danielle Drago Senior Staff Reporter Gentry McCreary took one look at the University’s campus, with its stately sorority row and fraternities overlooking the main street and realized this campus was one that really accepted greek life. As the University’s director of Greek Affairs, this put him at ease. “You can see from the second you step on campus that this is an institution that supports the greek community. It really sees the greek community as one of the cornerstones of campus life,” McCreary said. The Greek Affairs office oversees the University’s 57 greek organizations comprised of 6,000 students, roughly 27 percent of the entire student body population. “[The University has] one of the largest, most vibrant greek communities in the country in terms of size and scope. There’s no question that Alabama is one of the best, if not the best in terms of the quality of the experience that greek life

offers here,” McCreary said. McCreary said the faculty and alumni also provide a great deal of support for the greek community. “That’s what I liked most about being at a place like Alabama: there’s so much interest in what you are doing and there’s so much interest in the success of the greek community,” he said. McCreary was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity during his undergraduate years at the University of Tennessee. “It was a transformative experience. When I saw what it had to offer as far as leadership-development opportunities and brotherhood, and just a way to get connected on a pretty large campus, I really thrived in that environment,” McCreary said. Although he majored in agriculture, McCreary slowly became more interested in pursuing a career in higher education, an interest he credited to the faculty he met through his fraternity, a chapter he said put an emphasis on a core of values.

“My organization had a good concept of what brotherhood is. That is, we had standards and we had values and our brotherhood was based on holding each other to those standards: working hard and being honest,” he said. He attended the University of South Carolina to obtain his master’s degree and worked in the office of greek affairs there. “I like working in Greek Affairs because it gives me the opportunity to be a generalist. While I am working with a defined population of students, I do a lot of different things. I can take what I’m doing now and apply it in a lot of different areas,” he said. The Office of Greek Affairs makes sure each organization is following policies and procedures, but also serves as a place where greek students can address certain problems and feel connected to the community. McCreary is currently working on a Ph.D. in higher education.

See GREEK, page 2

PAGE Monday

TODAY • UA department of theatre and dance presents Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre; 7:30 p.m., Morgan Auditorium, runs through Friday

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

• UP presents Movies at the Ferg: “Swing Vote”; 7:30 p.m., Ferguson Theater

• Book Fusion: UA Faculty, Grad Students and Guest Artists in Two Book Arts, Art and Literary Collaborations; 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., 205 Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library

• UA School of Music presents University Chorus; 7:30 p.m., Moody Music Building Concert Hall

• UA department of theatre and dance presents Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre; 7:30 p.m., Morgan Auditorium, runs through Friday

November 10, 2008

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“I like Alabama. I don’t know how much you guys pay attention to our broadcast, but I’ve been saying probably for at least ﬁve weeks that I thought they should’ve been the No. 1 team in the country. Hopefully, they prove me right.” — ESPN Gameday’s Desmond Howard

“If done right, the greek experience has the ability to transform people’s lives. I think it can have a tremendously positive inﬂuence on the lives of students.” — Gentry McCreary, UA director of greek affairs.

BIRTHDAYS Margarett Frisby, freshman, criminal justice

We want to list your birthday here. Send your name, birthdate, year and major to cwnews@sa.ua.edu. Put “birthday” in the subject line. And look for birthday greetings from us on your special day.

THIS DAY IN US HISTORY On this day in 1969: “Sesame Street,” a pioneering TV show that would teach generations of young children the alphabet and how to count, makes its broadcast debut. “Sesame Street,” with its memorable theme song (“Can you tell me how to get/ How to get to Sesame Street”), went on to become the most widely viewed children’s program in the world. It has aired in more than 120 countries. Source: history.com

THE CRIMSON WHITE EDITORIAL • Corey Craft, editor-in-chief, craft@cw.ua.edu, 348-8049 • Phil Owen, managing editor, owen@cw.ua.edu, 348-6146 • James Jaillet, production editor • Megan Honeycutt, outreach manager • Breckan Duckworth, design editor • Bobby Bozeman, assistant design editor • Marion Walding, photo editor • RF Rains, assistant photo editor • Matt Ferguson, chief copy editor • Paul Thompson, opinions editor • Dave Folk, news editor • Brett Bralley, news editor • Ryan Mazer, lifestyles editor • CJ McCormick, assistant lifestyles editor • Ryan Wright, sports editor • Greg Ostendorf, assistant sports editor • Eric McHargue, graphics editor • Andrew Richardson, web editor

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HOLIDAY Continued from page 1

bowls for animals. The West Alabama Animal Shelter is also in need of volunteers during the winter season, Earp said. The Salvation Army has already begun its 2008 Christmas works. The Angel Tree project, where people can sponsor a needy child for Christmas, begins Nov. 14 at University Mall and will continue through Dec. 6. In addition to new unopened toys, Christmas coodinator Vera Ballard said volunteers are needed to work at the Angel Tree collection desk at University Mall from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday to collect toys. Also, volunteers are needed Dec. 17 through Dec. 19 to pass out collected toys to children The Community Soup Bowl serves lunch daily to almost 300 people. Director Amy Grinstead said the economy, not the weather, affected the number of people they served. This year, volunteers at the Soup Bowl said they have seen more families and children because, while most of the visitors have a source of income, it’s just not enough to make ends meet. The Soup Bowl needs cleaning supplies and plastic flatware both of which can be dropped off at their kitchen off Greensboro Ave. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Connie Stokes with Eagles Wings at 205-345-5484, Jennifer Earp at the West Alabama Animal Shelter at 205-752-9101, Vera Ballard with the Salvation Army at 205-758-2804 or Amy Grinstead with the Community Soup Bowl at 205- 752-2421.

GREEK Continued from page 1

As for the future, McCreary said he wants to work in higher education in some capacity, and is specifically interested in student affairs, alumni relations and higher education policy. Greek life has encompassed a good portion of McCreary’s life, and he said that he hopes it influences others in the same way. “If done right, the greek experience has the ability to transform people’s lives. I think it can have a tremendously positive influence on the lives of students,” McCreary said.

Law speaker discusses civil rights case ﬁles By Brett Bralley News Editor Paula C. Johnson, the John J. Sparkman visiting chair in the UA Law School will present “Civil Rights Cold Case Files: A Discussion of the Cold Case Justice Initiative and the Emmett Till Bill,” according to a press release from the UA Black Faculty and Staff Association The presentation will be held Tuesday at 5:45 p.m., in Lecture Hall A of the Child Development Center. The lecture will be put on by the BFSA, and it is free and open to the public. According to the release, Johnson, who is a law professor at Syracuse University, is teaching Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure:

Pre-trial to Trail this fall at the University. While visiting the University, Johnson is investigating unsolved racially-motivated murder cases from the Civil Rights era. Johnson is the co-director of the Cold Case Justice Initiative. The CCJI was founded as a response to the 1964 murder of Frank Morris, who was a 51-year-old black business owner in Ferriday, La. The release said Morris was murdered by being pushed into his burning store at gunpoint by people who were suspected to be members of the Ku Klux Klan. Morris died four days after from burns that covered his body. At Syracuse, Johnson teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, voting rights, professional responsibility and a seminar on women in the criminal justice system.

Tuscaloosa County plans ceremony to honor veterans By Brett Bralley News Editor A memorial service will be held at Veterans Memorial Park Tuesday at the University Mall, according to a press release from Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority. The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. and will recognize and honor veterans, the release said. According to the release, the event will include a presentation of the colors by Lieutenant Colonel Frank

Hannah and Holt High School JROTC. There will also be an invocation and a benediction by the Rev. Keith Pugh, who is senior pastor of Open Door Baptist Church. Rachel Mitchell, a freshman at the University, will perform the national anthem. Representatives will be on duty at the park throughout the day, and veterans are encouraged to wear their uniforms to remind of their service. The release also said Veterans Memorial Park was developed as a memorial for veterans and as a tribute to

AIG reportedly close to deal on new government bailout The Associated Press NEW YORK | American International Group Inc. late Sunday was reportedly near a deal for a revised bailout package from the U.S. government that would make borrowing terms easier for the troubled insurer. A proposed $123 billion

bailout package would be replaced with a new $150 billion package, according to the Wall Street Journal. Details of the arrangement could be announced as early as Monday, when AIG is scheduled to report its third-quarter results, the Journal said. The plan reportedly would replace an $85 billion two-year loan with a $60 billion five-year loan at a lower interest rate. The government also reportedly would inject $40 billion into AIG in exchange for preferred stock. AIG representatives were not immediately available for comment. The government had earmarked $85 billion in September for AIG’s rescue. Another $37.8 billion was made available in October.

Northington General Hospital, which was one of the largest hospitals in the world at the end of WWII. The park has an M60-A3 tank, the Purple Heart Memorial and the mast of the USS Tuscaloosa. The release said the Veterans Memorial Park Committee worked with the City of Tuscaloosa, the Tuscaloosa Park and Recreation Authority and the private sector to create an educational veterans park, which preserves a historical site and keeps the memory of the veterans alive.

TICKETS Continued from page 1

of student tickets available, those who requested tickets will receive them in descending order based on the number of credit hours earned at the University. Tickets will cost $35 each. Students have the right to purchase two tickets, according to the e-mail. To request tickets, students must bring their ACTion card to the ticket office and have it swiped. The names of students who will receive tickets will be posted on the doors of Coleman Coliseum immediately after 5 p.m. Tuesday and will also be available Wednesday online at www. rolltide.com/tickets/m-footblstudent-tickets.html. Students on the receiving list must come to the ticket office between Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets will be available for pick up at the ticket office Monday, Dec. 1 and Tuesday, Dec. 2. Those interested in requesting tickets must meet the criteria listed at www.studentreceivables.ua.edu/Student_ Eligibility_Athletic_Events. html. Spouses of students with an ACTion card are not eligible to place names on the list, even if they have purchased a spouse season package. For further questions, contact the ticket office at (205) 348-BAMA.

NAIL TIDE 345-8807 1130 University Blvd. Not valid w/other offers. Expires 12/30/08.

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NEWS

Monday, November 10, 2008

Ariz. town offers support for accused boy’s family By Felicia Fonseca Associated Press Writer

ST. JOHNS, Ariz. | People in this small, tight-knit community are reeling from the killing of a well-liked man police say was shot by his own 8-year-old son, and they will likely turn out in droves for his funeral. “I don’t think this church is big enough to handle it all,” said the Very Rev. John Paul Sauter of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. Vincent Romero, 29, and Timothy Romans, 39, a coworker who also rented a room

from him, were found dead inside Romero’s home — one at the entrance and one in an upstairs room. Police charged Romero’s son with two counts of premeditated murder. “The recent tragedy in our community has been very sad, an incident that makes us ask ‘Why?’ yet pulls our citizens together with love and support,” said Ross Overson, mayor of the town in eastern Arizona. “Without exception, the entire community has been affected by this tragic loss. No community can begin to understand how something like this

could happen.” Ask anyone here, and chances are they know a member of the Romero family. “Everybody knows them because there’s like 100 of them,” said Marybeth Ellsworth, who played the piano at Romero’s wedding in September. “They’re very wellliked in the community.” A prayer service was scheduled Sunday for Romero, and his funeral Mass was set for Monday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. Resident Flynt Smith said Romero and Romans were

“the best neighbors we’ve ever had.” They helped out when he was installing sprinklers in his yard and when his roof needed repairs, he said. Such relationships are common in St. Johns, a town of about 4,000 people 170 miles northeast of Phoenix, helping draw new people to the community and ensuring that those who were born there stick around as longtime residents, said Smith’s wife, Amber. “I feel you help each other raise each other’s children, and you don’t see that anymore,” she said.

Chelsie Jaramillo, who moved into the house across the street from Vincent Romero just two weeks ago with her husband and two children, said Romero’s wife, Tiffany, welcomed her and told her to holler if she ever needed anything. “They were really nice,” said Jaramillo, 19. At St. John the Baptist, Romero sang in the choir and his wife had also signed up. The couple spent two years preparing for marriage, and when they tied the knot in September the “church was packed,” Sauter said. “Because both their parents were divorced, they wanted to make sure their marriage lasted until death, and it did,” Sauter said. Romero had full custody of the 8-year-old boy and the marriage made Tiffany Romero his stepmother. The boy’s mother had visited St.

Johns from Mississippi last weekend and returned to Arizona after the shootings that took place Wednesday, said Apache County Attorney Brad Carlyon. Only two others have been killed in the town in the past 20 years. “We’re still in shock,” said Carl Hamblin, who used to coach Romero in Little League. “This is so out of the norm, and to this day, I don’t believe it could happen again.” Residents, religious organizations, the school district and local businesses were preparing food for the family and offering support and counseling to everyone affected by what Overson calls an “unexplainable heartache.” “God, time and the gracious service of our residents will heal each of us as we move forward,” Overson said. “That is what our city is about.”

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OPINIONS

Monday, November 10, 2008

Paul Thompson • Editor

paul.thompson@cw.ua.edu

Live life with less worry While coming home one evening after hanging out with friends, I looked into the night sky and saw geese flying in a V formation. I stood still outside my dorm, looking up at the stars until the birds were out of sight. I suddenly felt very small. In that moment, I became hyper-aware of the world around me and how, without the slightest nudge from me, things keep going, and the world keeps spinning. It was like stepping outside of a painting and being able to enjoy the whole picture instead of just the part I could see from inside the frame. Often, especially in college, we get stuck in a rut thinking we’re the center of everything. It’s hard not to feel that way; you are responsible for yourself, utterly and completely. Food, shelter and clothing are the three necessities humans need to survive. Although mom and dad might be footing the bill, you have to actually go out and acquire those things yourself. If you can’t be selfish in college when (most likely) you have no one depending on you, when can you be selfish? Getting caught up in the center is easy. It’s my life — it should revolve around me. But that night, for the first time in a long time, I realized what a small part of my life college would take up. In five years, when I’ve been out of school for a while, I’ll look back on some decisions I’ve made and try to remember where my head was. I’ll see other instances in my past and wonder why I made such a big deal about them. Right now, I’m in the process of figuring out what I’m going to do after graduation in May. How can I picture a world outside of college? My entire life, I’ve known nothing but classes and homework and studying. For four years, I’ve lived, eaten, slept and partied like a college student. What else do I know? I look out over the next few months and the decisions I have to make and I’m paralyzed by fear. What if I make the wrong decision? How can I know what I want to do with my life? Those birds fly thousands of miles every winter in search of food and a safe place to live. Their entire lives are dictated by the seasons and the flights back and forth. Sometimes I think it’d be nice to have my life figured out like that, mapped out like

Callie Corley a bird’s. Every year I know I’ll travel south for better food sources and a safe place to nest. I’d be able to accomplish what I needed to do, knowing how much time I’d have to get it done. Admittedly, that’d get boring quickly. But what wouldn’t I give for a chance to just glimpse the future so I know if I’m on the right path. For the last few months, I’ve felt like I’m groping blindly, hoping for an answer to come out of the darkness. I’ll sit at my computer and stare at the screen with my multiple lists of grad schools to apply to and companies I want to work for. It’s a scary feeling, like the next decision you make will determine the rest of your life. Can I handle that? But looking up at those birds that night, I felt calm. Whatever happens will work out. I’ve worked three-and-ahalf years to get to this point with a great GPA and a full resume — que sera, sera; whatever will be, will be. College is only a few, short years for most of us. You come to school, settle in and by the time you get the hang of things it’s time to leave again. As long as you do your best there’s nothing to worry about. That’s what I got from looking at those birds. Weird, huh? Like the phrase says, don’t sweat the small stuff. In the big picture of life, some things we stress over don’t even matter. If your life doesn’t follow the predetermined five-year plan, it’s OK. Worry less, live more. Things will work out for the best. Just as birds always know to fly south for the winter, you’ll know when the right thing comes along. Callie Corley is a senior majoring in political science and journalism. Her column runs on Mondays.

MCT Campus

Looking at the faces of history Last Tuesday night, I was taken aback. I had been watching election returns roll in all evening with a diverse cross section of my fellow students, culminating in a historic (and rather boisterous) verdict earlier than many had expected. As Barack Obama took the podium in Chicago’s Grant Park to claim victory about half an hour after John McCain’s perfectly gracious and necessarily unifying concession speech in Arizona, I sat down and soaked in my surroundings. I looked around the room and began to well up with a profound sense of pride. I saw dozens of black faces, some with tears on their cheeks and others with beaming smiles, staring intensely into the eyes of the first black man to be elected to this nation’s highest office. Here I was, at the campus of the University of Alabama, where only 40 years ago those same black students would never have been welcomed. Remember, it was in the doorway of our own Foster Auditorium that Gov. George C. Wallace, in the same year he vowed “segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever,” so epitomized a deep-seated desire to keep our nation’s black citizens from sharing the same

Ian Sams basic opportunities as its white citizens. As I looked at those faces, I realized in eras past, this moment would not have been possible. Here, at the site of a former battleground in the fight for racial justice and equality, I felt we had bridged a gap. I also realized it was acceptable for me to be proud on the lines of race. In the campaign, I wasn’t supporting Barack Obama because he was black. I didn’t just want him to win because I thought it would end some sort of centuriesold struggle. I wanted Obama to win because I knew he had the best ideas. But now that he has won, it was okay for me to feel

something. It was okay for me to be proud of the fact that, only a half century removed from giving blacks full civil and voting rights, the truly great people of the United States had elected a black man to be their next president. For me, it was the second moment of my life that I strongly felt like I was watching history be made. The first was the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. That day, I realized I was watching one of the greatest atrocities ever to be committed on American soil. I could tell I was witnessing history because the core of my being was shaken. Tuesday, the core of my being was stirred again, in a way diametrically opposed to the way I was shaken on Sept. 11. This time I knew I was watching my country clear a hurdle. We collectively turned the page on a racial and bigoted past. We had shown that this nation can live up to its creed that “all men are created equal.” One columnist summed it up best by saying, “Let every child and every citizen and every new immigrant know that from this day forward everything really is possible in America.” Tuesday, our nation showed the world that we are special. We showed other countries that, in America, anyone can

truly achieve anything he or she desired. We showed the poor, black boy in Harlem that he is not destined for a life of crime, and he could grow up to be president one day. We showed the daughter of Hispanic immigrants that she could break the stigma of having dark skin and realize the same dreams as any of her white classmates. We showed all white citizens disillusioned by our history and politics that we can transcend our disenchanted past. Now, we look forward. We have a new president with new goals and policy proposals. Many of us feel uncertainty toward the future. We’ll have to wait until January at least to see what the next phase of American history holds. And many are uncomfortable with the outcome of the election. Many wanted to see John McCain end up victorious, and those folks certainly maintain the right to their opinion. But we’ve reached a milestone, one that will live on in the history books for the rest of time. And regardless of who we voted for, we should all be proud of that.

Ian Sams is a sophomore majoring in political science. His column runs on Mondays.

Tradition: what America can do without By Sean Randall

I was watching “Fiddler on the Roof” the other day. For those who don’t know what that is, it is a 1971 three-time Academy Awardwinning (with five other nominations) film version of a 1964 Broadway musical. This musical was based off a book that told the tales of Tevye and his daughters (which is, coincidentally, the title of the book.) The story is about Tevye, a Jewish father of 5 daughters living in Anatevka, Russia, around 1905, a time when pogroms and Jewish exiles were rampant. The Jewish community in Anatevka realizes this, but chooses to stay where they are. Tevye explains in the first lines of the film: “A fiddler on the roof.

Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say ... every one of us is a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn’t easy. You may ask, ‘Why do we stay up there if it’s so dangerous?’ Well, we stay because ... Anatevka ... is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: Tradition!” Tradition. That which keeps them standing on that roof without falling. And yet ... throughout the film, “one at a time, you pull out the prop.” The traditions slowly disappear before, eventually, the tsar forces them to leave Anatevka (though not through any reasons dealing with their traditions and their removals).

What did the traditions really do for those people? It blinded them, made them stubborn, made them adamant against all better judgment. And caused severe pain. Tradition can be fine and dandy. It can be alright, keeping that with which we are familiar and know well ... but it can harm, too. Despite Anatevka’s traditions, the world was changing around them. Their traditions did not help them from being kicked out by the tsar. Does that mean they were bad? No, not all of them. Some of them? Watch the movie, and you’ll see. The thing I realized is this: Tradition is something that must be scrutinized. It is not inherently good. We cannot argue for a tradition simply

because it is a tradition. First, whose tradition should we follow? America is a melting pot of traditions, drawing back from long before 1776. Second, traditions change. It was tradition to raise your hand in a “Heil, Hitler”-like fashion when pledging allegiance to the flag ... that is, before we met Hitler. Then the tradition changed. Finally, traditions can be harmful to people. Slavery. Interracial marriage bans. Anti-suffrage. All of these came from the foul mouth of tradition, even when we knew they were wrong. Slavery? “It’s been around forever, and we don’t know how to work without slaves.” Anti-suffrage? “Men have always been the leaders.” Interracial marriage bans? “Traditional marriages

are between people of the same race.” So, before you spout off some silly thing about tradition, consider it. What merit does that tradition really have and what harm will come from getting rid of that tradition? In the instance of the recent Proposition 8 in California, people claim they want to protect traditional marriage. Which one? The one from pre-“Loving v. Virginia” in which men and women only married in the same race? The one from the 17th and 18th centuries in which marriages were arranged? The ones from Hammurabai’s time in which women were bought and the rich had many, many wives? How about the ones from ancient Greek, Roman, Japanese and other countries’

times in which a man could marry a man and a woman could marry a woman (though admittedly not often)? There is no sanctity in marriage and no religion, country or ethnicity owns it. There is no definitive tradition for it. There is only bigotry preventing people who love each other from expressing that love the way they should be allowed. Not to mention, homosexuals are being denied the legal rights attached to marriage, like visiting your lover in the hospital. So screw the tradition and actually think about it. When a tradition is harmful to people, it shouldn’t be. “One at a time, pull out the prop.”

Sean Randall is a junior majoring in theatre and philosophy.

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Obama to use executive orders for quick impact By Stephen Ohlemacher The Associated Press WASHINGTON | Presidentelect Obama plans to use his executive powers to make an immediate impact when he takes office, perhaps reversing Bush administration policies on stem cell research and domestic drilling for oil and natural gas. John Podesta, Obama’s transition chief, said Sunday Obama is reviewing President Bush’s executive orders on those issues and others as he works to undo policies enacted during eight years of Republican rule. He said the president can use such orders to move quickly on his own. “There’s a lot that the president can do using his executive authority without waiting for congressional action, and I think we’ll see the president do that,” Podesta said. “I think that he feels like he has a real mandate for change. We need to get off the course that the Bush administration has set.” Podesta also said Obama is working to build a diverse Cabinet. That includes reaching out to Republicans and independents part of the broad coalition that supported Obama during the race against Republican John McCain. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been mentioned as a possible holdover. “He’s not even a Republican,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said. “Why wouldn’t we want to keep him? He’s never been a registered Republican.” Obama was elected on a

promise of change, but the nature of the job makes it difficult for presidents to do much that has an immediate impact on the lives of average people. Congress plans to take up a second economic aid plan before year’s end an effort Obama supports, But it could be months or longer before taxpayers see the effect. Obama could use his executive powers to at least signal that Washington is changing. “Obama’s advantage of course is he’ll have the House and the Senate working with him, and that makes it easier,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. “But even then, having an immediate impact is very difficult to do because the machinery of government doesn’t move that quickly.” Presidents long have used executive orders to impose policy and set priorities. One of Bush’s first acts was to reinstate full abortion restrictions on U.S. overseas aid. The restrictions were first ordered by President Reagan and the first President Bush followed suit. President Clinton lifted them soon after he occupied the Oval Office and it wouldn’t be surprising if Obama did the same. Executive orders “have the power of law and they can cover just about anything,” Tobias said in a telephone interview. Bush used his executive power to limit federal spending on embryonic stem cell research, a position championed by opponents of abortion rights who argue that destroying embryos is akin to killing a fetus. Obama has supported

AP | Pablo Martinez Monsivais Members of the Secret Service accompany President-elect Obama, center, to his vehicle as leaves the gym following his workoutSunday, Nov. 9, 2008, in Chicago. the research in an effort to find cures for diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Many moderate Republicans also support the research, giving it the stamp of bipartisanship. On drilling, the federal

Bureau of Land Management is opening about 360,000 acres of public land in Utah to oil and gas drilling. Bush administration officials argue that the drilling will not harm sensitive areas; environmentalists

oppose it. “They want to have oil and gas drilling in some of the most sensitive, fragile lands in Utah,” Podesta said. “I think that’s a mistake. ”Two top House Republicans said there

is a willingness to try to work with Obama to get things done. But they said to expect Republicans to serve as a check against the power held by Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress.

North Dakota town sitting on potential oil jackpot By James MacPherson The Associated Press PARSHALL, N.D. | In this tiny reservation town a hundred miles from the Canadian border where temperatures once hit 60-below zero, a Southern twang is sometimes heard over the din at the local diner and there is talk of Texas tea beneath the streets. Roughnecks from Texas and Oklahoma have traveled here on hopes that they now share with the town’s 1,000 or so inhabitants that there is oil in Parshall. About 400 people own mineral rights under homes, businesses, churches, nursing homes or tribal land. All of it has been leased, town officials said. “We were dying,” said Loren Hoffman, a local farmer and the city auditor. “Our town was slipping backward, but now we’re on the upswing.” While it is the namesake of the Parshall oil field, which sits in the crude-rich Bakken shale formation, a quarter of Parshall’s residents live in poverty. No one is sure how much oil might lie beneath the town, but with the wells spreading south toward Parshall near the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, things have begun to change. “We’re seeing an influx of youth that we didn’t have before,” Hoffman said. At Parshall’s only restaurant, the Redwood, there is now Tex-Mex food on the menu, though locals were leery of it at first. Business at the Redwood Restaurant, like other establishments in town, is brisk. The hamburger smothered with gravy is still a big seller. “We put breakfast burritos on the menu and no one would try them; they thought it would be too spicy,” said Shad Green, 39, who came to the area last spring from Texas to work the oil

wells for $32 an hour. After a co-worker was killed on an oil rig where he worked, Green quit the business and bought the Redwood. Green, his wife and her mother, sister and 18-year-old niece are there, and his son and daughter-in-law expect to move there in about a month, to help work in the restaurant, he said. Strong Southern drawls like Green’s are becoming more prevalent in town. “People are getting more familiar with the accent,” Green said. But it is no longer the case that you know most of the people you see in Parshall. “I’ve lived here all my life and I don’t recognize most of the people in the local cafe,” Hoffman said. A number of businesses are reporting record sales, said Parshall Mayor Richard Bolkan, who also owns the town grocery store. Occupancy is nearly at 100 percent at the 15room Parshall Motor Inn, said owner and manager Jeanette Cecil. Cecil purchased the inn, and the mineral rights below it, in August 2006, less than a year before the oil boom, she said. She plans a 10-room expansion for next spring to house the welders and surveyors who are flooding into town. In just over a year, horizontal oil wells have been spudded throughout the region, where the hilly prairie had been previously disturbed only by crops and Cold War-era missile silos. Dozens of nodding donkey pumps now dot the landscape and flames from waste gas now light the night sky. In April, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that up to 4.3 billion barrels of oil can be recovered from the Bakken. The agency said the Bakken, much of which lies two miles under the surface in western North Dakota, was the largest continuous oil accumulation it has ever

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assessed. Wichita, Kan.-based Slawson Exploration Co. has begun drilling on the outskirts of Parshall, and another well is planned this month that will partially drill beneath the town, said Todd Slawson, one of the company’s owners. Next year, a rig will likely drill directly beneath the town, he said. “We’ve never drilled anything like this,” he said. “Every time we drill, it is a benefit to someone. This happens to be a benefit to a lot of people.” The city is leasing land at $500 an acre, plus royalties. Individuals are getting paid about $85 a lot, which is about one-sixth of an acre, Hoffman said. But the rush of oil companies has already brought a measure of prosperity to Parshall, where according to the 2000 Census, the unemployment rate topped 20 percent. Unemployment was more than 40 percent for the reservation. Cecil, the owner of the motor inn in town, said people are keeping quite about their chances of striking it rich, and no one she knows is already banking on the money. “Everyone in town is so busy; I don’t think people have stopped to really think about it,” she said. There are also jobs flowing to the reservation. “The unemployment rate has really gone down on our reservation here,” said Mervin Packineau, a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes business council. “Anybody who basically wants to work can go out and find a job and work nowadays.” Packineau said some of the tribes’ members have been getting oil royalties from wells operating on their land. One family, he said, got $800,000 in recent months. “We had families who were so poor they could barely make it from day to day,” he said. “Now

all the sudden they get this money, so it’s a huge lift to some of our families around here.” Retired farmer Rudy Folden, 88, has spent his entire life in Parshall. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Folden, who owns mineral rights beneath his home in town, and on his farm outside the city. Folden said he’s lost loved ones to cancer, and he and his wife would likely donate money for cancer research. “That money, it don’t mean too much to us,” he said. “We’re too old for it to benefit us too much.” Parshall, with four city employees, is hoping for a rejuvenation from royalties, Hoffman said. The city now collects about $120,000 a year in sales and property taxes. “We’ve just got by year after year,” Bolkan said. Hoffman said the city already has seen a big boost in revenue from selling water to drilling companies, which use it to fracture rocks to release oil. Parshall just acquired it’s first new piece of equipment since 1976: a lawn mower. Drilling for oil in the Parshall field started north of city, but oil companies have begun to migrate south. The companies typically avoid populated areas because they are forced to negotiate contracts with hundreds of people. Slawson, however, said the company has successfully negotiated contracts with every mineral property owner that has been contacted and results at a well placed just outside the city have been good. “That little town of Parshall will never be the same, and I hope everybody really doesn’t change that much,” Slawson said. “But what I know about North Dakotans, is that the most they would do with all that money would be to paint their houses.”

Monday, November 10, 2008

LIFESTYLES Ryan Mazer • Editor

ryan.mazer@cw.ua.edu

UA students dress for Claiborne By Jamie Lyons Contributing Writer

On Saturday, the Belk store in Birmingham’s Riverchase Galleria was buzzing with excitement from hundreds of women who were anxiously awaiting a glimpse of one of America’s most stylish men. The store was hosting a Liz Claiborne fashion show, and Tim Gunn of “Project Runway” and “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style,” both on Bravo, was the man of the hour. The crowd began to form as soon as the store’s doors opened, but the show did not begin until early in the afternoon. Women of all ages were dressed in their trendiest garb, waiting and hoping for the chance to talk to and maybe take a picture with the famous fashion mentor. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the hours before the show were anything but calm. Eight UA students, including myself, had the unique opportunity of working behind the black curtain as dressers for the show. Like stagehands for a theatrical production, we were dressed in black from head to toe. The models, who were all as pleasant as they were beautiful, arrived and two hours before the show the “fitting” began. As dressers, our job was to make the changing of outfits and positioning of accessories as smooth and quick as possible. The purpose of the fitting was to make sure each outfit was the correct size for the model and all accessories were properly placed. One woman, a Liz Claiborne employee, was the ringleader backstage and was fluttering around, adjusting pieces and rejecting or accepting outfits. The entire

spectacle seemed to be a lifesize game of dress-up, on a much more significant scale. She would send the “runners” on missions into the store to find new pairs of shoes, a different size skirt or a ring or hat to pull the look together. And if the belt didn’t fit right, she would scurry to the corner where countless reserves were waiting. It was both impressive and enviable. What stylish person in their right mind would not want their choice of a hundred belts for each outfit? After each model had all four outfits approved, they were sent to have their hair fixed and makeup done. We dressers began to prep all the garments with steamers, lint rollers and double-stick tape where needed. Everything was neatly on hangers, already unzipped, unbuttoned and ready to be slipped on in a rush. Thirty minutes before the show, the models reported backstage and the “rally” began. Tim and his entourage made their first appearance backstage and the models, the runners and dressers all stood up a little straighter and tried to look completely engaged by the instructions that were being given. Before we knew it, the models began to file on stage, and as soon as they were gone, they were back again to change outfits. Within minutes, each dresser had garments draped over one arm, a purse under the other, scarves, belts and jewelry in each hand and were simultaneously trying to zip zippers and button cardigans. As each model was on stage, Tim and the Claiborne representative were commenting on her outfit. At one point, the crowd got a little

Jamie Lyons UA students pose with Tim Gunn, the host of the Bravo series “Tim Gunnʼs Guide to Style,” at the Liz Claiborne fashion show in Birminghamʼs Riverchase Galleria. The UA students served as dressers for the models at the fashion show. rambunctious at Tim’s mistaken comment that “crimson” was the “color of Auburn, right?” He quickly corrected himself with help from the audience, amidst a chorus of ladylike “Roll Tides!” Within thirty minutes the show was over and the models were shuffled out into the crowd to mingle with the audience and take pictures. Tim

stopped backstage for a few minutes to thank us and snap a quick photo before being bombarded by his admirers from the audience. The show went off without a hitch, and no wardrobe malfunctions were reported. The hardest part was over, but organizing the mass chaos that had become of backstage was the remaining task on our list.

Marked items were those that the Liz employees had brought themselves, whereas everything else had to be rushed back out onto the store floor to hopefully be purchased by the eager audience. When shoes were back in their boxes and almost everything was retagged, we were free to go. The experience was certainly unlike anything else I had ever

done. This was only a peek into the high-paced, high-stress world of fashion. But we loved every minute of it. And now, we truly know how to “Make it work!” For more information about Tim Gunn and his shows, check out Bravotv.com or his book, titled “A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style,” coauthored by Kate Moloney.

The Crimson White

LIFESTYLES

ARDT

Continued from page 1

techniques. Along with seasoned choreographers from the University, the dance department welcomes the choreography of Ping Guo, assistant professor of dance, to the stage. Guo won a gold medal at the seventh France International Ballet Competition and has coached many students to gold and silver medals from international and national ballet competitions. Other pieces in the performance showcase the diversity dance offers to audiences. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mass Production,â&#x20AC;? a piece by Sarah M. Barry, assistant professor of dance, uses â&#x20AC;&#x153;electronic sampling from ambient to not quite techno, but still electronicâ&#x20AC;? juxtaposed with movements of machinery. Dressed in blue-collar jumpsuits, dancers use their bodies to create one long assembly line of movements, whether as a ticking arm or a stiff elbow serving as a gear. The piece also incorporates a table as a prop in a non-traditional form. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The dance program itself is

Monday, November 10, 2008

What: Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre Fall Concert Where: Morgan Auditorium When: Nov. 11-14 How much: $15 for adults, $13 for faculty and staff and $10 for students growing by leaps and bounds,â&#x20AC;? said Lynn Cooley, business manager and interim program director of theatre management. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had 60 people sign up for one dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth of auditions.â&#x20AC;? Opportunities such as working with Okouchi-Guy or the other professors have increased the enrollment of dance majors to 100 students. Cornelius Carter, director of the dance program and professor of dance, constantly finds ways to reinvestigate dance. This year he has chosen to explore men dancing using athletic movements in his piece â&#x20AC;&#x153;Men Dancing.â&#x20AC;? Inspired by having a significant number of males in the dance program this year, he chose to choreograph a piece specifically for

them. Carter hopes this piece will encourage more men to join the program, especially incoming freshmen. Students in the program demonstrate dedication and determination. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The kids are strong,

Web site, the Ann Arbor Film Festival is the longest running showcase of independent and experimental films in North America. It is a premiere showcase for creative, inspiring and influential films of all types: avant-garde and experimental, story-based narratives, documentaries and animation, the site says. Steeped in a rich tradition of ground-breaking cinema,

thousands of influential filmmakers have showcased early work at the AAFF, including the likes of Kenneth Anger, Agnes Varda, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Gus Van Sant, Barbara Hammer, Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas. Screenings begin at 8 p.m. both evenings, and tickets are $7 for the general public, $6 for students and $5 for Arts Council members.

The Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre will hosts its fall concert Nov. 11 to 14 in Morgan Auditorium. intelligent and highly pushed,â&#x20AC;? Carter said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have many hours put into training because they are going to be professionals. This is why the repertoire is important to push their abilities.â&#x20AC;? Performances for the

Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre Fall Concert are Nov. 11-13 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in Morgan Auditorium. Tickets are $15 for adults ($13 plus $2 service charge), $13 for UA faculty, staff and senior citizens ($11

CW | Drew Hoover

plus $2) and $10 for students ($8 plus $2). Buy tickets at the box office in RowandJohnson Hall from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, by visiting www.crimsonartstickets.com or by phoning 205-348-3400.

ARDTĘźs fall concert will showcase six pieces each night: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Concerto,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Men Dancing,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mass Production,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mercy,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Salute!â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Walking on Broken Glass.â&#x20AC;?

CW | Drew Hoover

LIFESTYLES in brief

Bama Theatre gets artsy with film festival selections By Ryan Mazer Lifestyles Editor

Selections from the internationally-recognized Ann Arbor Film Festival will screen Tuesday and Wednesday night at the Bama Theatre. According to the Arts Council of Tuscaloosa Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

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CW | Drew Hoover UA students will dance to pieces choreographed by UA dance faculty members and guest choreographers, including French International Ballet Competition gold medalist Ping Guo.

8 Monday, November 10, 2008

LIFESTYLES

The Crimson White

MOVIE REVIEW | ROCKNROLLA

Ritchieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest falls short of its predecessors By Peterson Hill Contributing Writer Some directors have a style all their own, one so unique you can identify the director within the first few frames of their work. Guy Ritchie is one such director. He has the dialogue and cinematography down pat, but he also gives in to conventions that keep his films from greatness. While his latest outing, â&#x20AC;&#x153;RocknRolla,â&#x20AC;? is always entertaining, it lags in the first act and is a little too scared of having a character without any manic quirks. The plot centers on a real estate scam gone wrong. It puts all of Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s criminals, record producers, rock and rollers, Ukrainian businessmen and sideways business associates into the hunt for a painting. Everyone in the movie is obsessed with one of two things: the painting or money. The movie is not primarily focused on the plot, but rather on how its characters interact when put into each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives. It would be senseless of me to speak about this movie in terms of plot, because there is more going on here than at a carnival for the criminally insane. The list of characters is long and it would be fruitless to try and explain each one, so I will pick out the highlights. There is Gerard Butlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s One Two, a low-level thief who is not the brightest crayon in the box. He would do anything for his best mates, leading to a wildly funny sequence of scenes. Mark Strong plays Archie, who is the narrator and muscle for Tom Wilkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lenny.

These two characters are not as in control as they would like to imagine, which makes their scramble for the painting all the funnier. The filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best performance and by far most colorful character is Toby Kebbellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rock star, Johnny Quid. He is an off-thehandle drug addict who spends all his time in a grungy flat to hide from the general public, who think that he is dead. His character philosophizes about life and death and is very aware of his own dance with death. Jeremy Piven also stops by, playing a variation of his Ari Gold character with Ludacris as his partner. Thandie Newton plays a corrupt businesswoman who has a little thing for One Two. The film plays like Ritchie is high on Scorsese, speed and skittles. It is a fast-paced, in-your-face film that is more interested in individual situations than the general plot. Honestly, a real estate scam for a profit of five million quid is pretty meager. However, it still comes off as a high-stakes operation. Wall Street may send you broke, but London gangsters will knock your kneecaps in and send you into the water to be eaten by flesh-eating crayfish. Ritchie is quite adept at creating dark humor that is nothing short of operatic insanity. Take the scene where One Two is chased on foot by the indestructible hitman through half of London. This is the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most inventive sequence because it is as quirky as the characters who feature in it. Ritchieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s influences are obvious, from Scorsese to Mann

Rottentomatoes.com Guy RitchieĘźs new heist film, â&#x20AC;&#x153;RocknRolla,â&#x20AC;? focuses on a London real estate scam gone wrong and is packed with all the action one would expect from a Ritchie thriller. The film was released in theaters everywhere Oct. 31. and Tarantino. But Ritchie has no hope of outshining the work of his predecessors. Overall, â&#x20AC;&#x153;RocknRollaâ&#x20AC;? is a good film. Ritchie loves these people and always makes them interesting. When he shows us his version of British gangsters, there is no doubt it will be good, but his films are never quite memorable enough to mark as masterpieces of the genre.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;RocknRollaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Runtime: 114 minutes MPAA rating: R Director: Guy Ritchie Starring: Gerard Butler, Mark Criticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rating: Strong, Thandie Newton, Tom Wilkinson, Jeremy Piven, Chris Bridges, Toby Kebbell

Bottom Line: Just for giggles say the title with a thick British accent and you will understand the spelling.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Madagascarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roars with $63.5 million weekend By David Germain AP Movie Writer

LOS ANGELES | Families animals as the animated sequel herded into movie theaters for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madagascar: Escape 2 Africaâ&#x20AC;? another trek with stranded zoo led the weekend with a $63.5

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million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday. The haul for the DreamWorks Animation comedy far surpassed the $47.2 million debut for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madagascarâ&#x20AC;? over Memorial Day weekend in 2005. Its three-day total also beat the $61 million gross the first movie took in over that full four-day holiday weekend. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It just shows people seem happy to escape to the movies and have a good laugh,â&#x20AC;? said Anne Globe, head of marketing for DreamWorks Animation. While parents with children were the bulk of the audience, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madagascarâ&#x20AC;? also drew teens and adults on their own, who made up half the audience on Friday and one-third on Saturday, Globe said. Premiering in second-place with $19.3 million was the Universal Pictures comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Role Models,â&#x20AC;? starring Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd as immature adults sentenced to community service as mentors for two misfit youths. The weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other new wide release, the Weinstein Co. music comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Soul Men,â&#x20AC;? opened weakly with $5.6 million, despite the lure of Samuel L. Jackson and his late co-stars, Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, who died last summer. Jackson

and Mac play an estranged singing team on a reunion road trip to a memorial concert. Mac also was among the voice cast for the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madagascarâ&#x20AC;? sequel, providing vocals as Zuba, the father of Ben Stillerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alex the lion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Certainly, he just brought a wonderful heart to the role of Zuba. We were just fortunate to have him for that character,â&#x20AC;? Globe said. The movie also reunites voice stars Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and Sacha Baron Cohen as the animal gang crash lands in an African nature preserve. Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;High School Musical 3: Senior Year,â&#x20AC;? which had been No. 1 the previous two weekends, slipped to third-place with $9.3 million, raising its total to $75.7 million. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madagascarâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Role Modelsâ&#x20AC;? kicked off a big start to Hollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s holiday season. The top-12 movies took in $128.8 million, up 32 percent from the same weekend last year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all boding well,â&#x20AC;? said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have lots of really good films coming, lots of commercial films. I love the fact that everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to the movies. I love the fact that everybody likes what

theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeing.â&#x20AC;? The season continues with Sonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s James Bond adventure â&#x20AC;&#x153;Quantum of Solaceâ&#x20AC;? on Friday, then Summit Entertainmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vampire romance â&#x20AC;&#x153;Twilightâ&#x20AC;? and Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s animated canine comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boltâ&#x20AC;? on Nov. 21. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Quantum of Solaceâ&#x20AC;? continued to pull in big audiences overseas with $106.5 million in 60 countries, raising its total to $160.3 million since it began opening internationally Oct. 31. Hollywoodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s domestic revenue for the year stands at $7.96 billion, a fraction ahead of the pace in 2007, when the industry took in a record $9.7 billion, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers. Factoring in inflation, the number of tickets sold this year trails last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s admissions by 4 percent. But Hollywood has a stronger lineup this time heading into Thanksgiving, so studios could finish the year with a bang. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given where we are and the films in the pipeline, we have a huge shot at more than making up for any kind of attendance deficit,â&#x20AC;? said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know there was a recession if you were just looking at the movie industry.â&#x20AC;?

The Crimson White

SPORTS

Monday, November 10, 2008

Top left: LSU players block a field goal attempt by kicker Leigh Tiffin with time running out in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime. Middle Left: Safety Rashad Johnson runs downfeild after making an interception in the first quarter. It was Johnsonʼs first of three picks of the day. Bottom Left: Safety Rashad Johnson scores a touchdown off an interception in the second quarter. The interception was Johnsonʼs second of the game. Bottom Right: Cornerback Javier Arenas (28) and linebacker Dontʼa Hightower (30) tackle LSU running back Charles Scott (32). CW | Drew Hoover

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10 Monday, November 10, 2008

SPORTS

The Crimson White

Tide wins exhibition vs. West Alabama By Spencer White Contributing Writer The Alabama women’s basketball team tipped off the 2008-09 season with a 7649 rout of the West Alabama Tigers in Coleman Coliseum Friday night. The Crimson Tide started off strong, winning the tip and storming out to an early 12-0 lead with the fire and intensity head coach Wendell Hudson had preached all preseason. “We wanted to play the practice, and I think that’s what we did,” Hudson said. Alabama’s leading scorers were Alyson Butler and Tierney Jenkins, who amassed 14 points each. Point guard Dedrea Magee had a quiet but efficient night, dishing out nine assists and knocking down a three, while Katie CW| Marion Walding Hancock dominated inside to Point guard Dedrea Magee blows by the defense in Alabamaʼs 76-49 win over West Alabama provide 12 points of her own. Butler was especially accu- Friday. Magee finished with only three points in the game but led the team with nine assists. rate, going 6-10 from the field, Hudson said. “She’s one of the ball. When she’s open, she’s including back-to-back three sluggish in the second half. “Alyson changed the few players we have to run in got the green light to shoot.” pointers that boosted a Tide team which came out a little momentum of the game,” practice for not shooting the “I shot pretty good,” Butler

said. “I’ve been working on my shot, so it came into play.” Jenkins, an All-SEC freshman team selection from a year ago, regained her form in the second half after an abysmal first-half shooting performance in which she did make a shot from the field, going 04. She finished with solid free throw shooting and chipped in 11 rebounds for what she hopes to be the first of many double-double games on the year. “[Hudson] talked to me at halftime — he was just saying I was trying too hard,” Jenkins said. “Tierney was just pressing in the first half,” Hudson said. “She felt like she had to carry a big burden because she played such a big role last year. She doesn’t have to do it all for the team.” Indeed, one of the strengths for the team appears to be a degree of quality depth that was missing from last year’s group. Hudson played two rotations of five girls each, which he appeared to sub in and out every five minutes

with little noticeable drop in overall performance. “Teams are playing like six or seven people, and we’re playing like our whole bench, and so at the end we were shooting lay-ups and they were like dog-tired,” Jenkins said. In all, 12 Alabama players saw time on the court, with seven players providing five or more points. Amidst the solid threepoint shooting and significant rebound advantage, the Tide was less than impressive from the free throw line, shooting 1226 from the charity stripe. “The last couple of practices we’ve been shooting [free throws] and running if we missed them, so we’ve been knocking them down,” Jenkins said. “I guess it was our first game and we were kind of nervous.” Valerie Harris led West Alabama with 16 points in the loss. Alabama next plays at Coleman Coliseum this Friday at 6 p.m. against Centenary.

Rashad Johnson Named National Defensive Player of the Week game record for interceptions with three vs. LSU. That equaled the mark set by Bobby Wilson vs. Georgia in 1951, Dicky Thompson vs. TUSCALOOSA, Ala.| Alabama with four tackles, three inter- Mississippi in 1966, Jeremiah senior safety Rashad Johnson ceptions and one tackle for loss Castille vs. Tennessee in 1982 has been named the Walter as the Crimson Tide wrapped and Kevin Jackson vs. Georgia Camp Foundation National up the 2008 SEC Western in 1995. All three interceptions Defensive Player of the Week Division Championship with its after a school record-tying first win over LSU since 2002. directly led to points. His first three interceptions as the top- He had 64 yards in interception interception, on LSU’s third ranked Crimson Tide beat LSU returns, including a 54-yard offensive play at the Tigers’ 27-21 in overtime on Saturday touchdown that tied the game 15-yard line, led to a 1-yard at 14-14 in the second quarter. in Baton Rouge. sneak by quarterback John He tied an Alabama single- Parker Wilson. Johnson also Johnson finished the game

Johnson named Pontiac GameChanging nominee

intercepted a third-down pass in the end zone in overtime to set up the Tide’s game-winning drive. Alabama head coach Nick Saban called the overtime interception “the biggest play of the game.” “The turnover at the end of the game was huge,” Saban said following the game on Saturday. “Always turnovers in overtime are huge. It was a great play. He made a great break on the ball. We had pretty good coverage there. He’s got

great hands and great range and certainly anticipates well when the quarterback’s going to throw to him.” For the season, Johnson is the Tide’s second-leading tackler with 62 stops, including a team-best 41 solo tackles. He also has added 10 pass breakups, five interceptions (125 yards, 2 TDs), five tackles for loss (-15 yards), one sack (-7 yards) and one fumble recovery in 10 starts. Pontiac Game-Changing Performance: Johnson’s over-

time interception is one of four nominees for this week’s Pontiac Game-Changing Performance, announced on ESPN’s College Football Final late Saturday night. Alabama fans can log on to ESPN.com and search for “Pontiac” to vote for Johnson’s play. The winner will be announced on ESPN on Thursday, Nov. 13 and the winning school will win $5,000 for its general scholarship fund. At the end of the season fans will decide who will win the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year and $100,000.

Alabama Swimming and Diving Sweeps New Orleans

Alabama’s women won 187- 2-2 on the season after beating NEW ORLEANS, La. | The meet in two days, dominated Alabama swimming and the University of New Orleans 94 to go to 3-0-1 overall, while the Privateers 167-127. diving teams, in their second in the Privateers’ Reilly Center. the Crimson Tide men are now “It was another good meet for us, especially coming on the heels of yesterday’s meet in Baton Rouge,” said Alabama head coach Eric McIlquham. “We were able to come in and swim hard for a second day in a row, which will help us when

we get to the postseason when we have to go multiple days. We also had the opportunity to swim some off events and saw some good things there.” On the women’s side of the meet 10 Crimson Tide athletes tallied individual wins, including three that came away with a pair of victories. Freshman

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diver Carrie Dragland won the one- and three-meter boards, running her season victory total to five wins in three meets. Sophomore Paige Troyan won the 100 and 200 breaststrokes while sophomore Kate Shannon Gray got the wall first in the 200 backstroke and the 400 IM. Junior Agustina de Giovanni won the 1000 freestyle, sophomore Jenna Montgomery won the 100 backstroke and junior Elle St. Charles won the 200 butterfly. Junior Nichole Roberts won the 50 freestyle, junior Brooke Baldi took top honors in the 100 freestyle and rookie Suzanne Schwee took first in the 500 freestyle. Sophomore Kacey Weddle touched first in the 100 butterfly. Four Tide men scored double wins with Alabama winning nine individual events overall. Freshman Joe Ziegler took double gold in the distance events, winning the 500 and 1000 freestyles. Junior Riley Boulden won the 50 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. Junior Luke Boutwell came away with wins in the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. Junior Aaron Fleshner turned in the top point totals off the one and three-meter boards. Sophomore Denes Zubcsek won the 200 freestyle.

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SPORTS

Monday, November 10, 2008

Ryan Wright • Editor

ryan.wright@cw.ua.edu

FOOTBALL

Corso, Fowler and Howard talk Tide vs. LSU By Greg Ostendorf Assistant Sports Editor ESPN invited the Crimson White sports editors onto The College Gameday set to interview the show’s broadcast personalities Lee Corso, Chris Fowler and Desmond Howard to talk before the AlabamaLSU game and this year’s Crimson Tide team.

CW: You put the elephant hat on– why do you think Alabama is going to win? Corso: I think Alabama has a better all-around football team with a senior quarterback. This young football team, LSU, has a freshman quarterback that’s apt to make mistakes. It will be a close game, but I think the Alabama senior leadership will win the game for them. CW: What do you think

about the LSU-Alabama game? Corso: It’s hard hitting. These guys really hit each other. It’s an aggressive game. I think LSU will play much better on defense because people don’t understand, when you play Florida and Georgia, you play different offenses completely than what Alabama has got. LSU obviously can’t stop those kinds of offenses, but they’ll do a lot better against the Alabama offense. Fowler: The one time we were here and LSU lost, we were at the Shaun Alexander game. He ran wild, and that was the time in the rivalry when Alabama always used to win here, and the Tigers would win at Alabama. We love these games in the SEC. It’s the backbone of what Gameday is. We have never been to Tuscaloosa and had the Tide win the game,

Jim Sigmon | ESPN Members of the CW staff were invited onto the ESPN College Gameday tour bus before the LSU game to talk football with Chris Fowler and Desmond Howard.

TIDE

Continued from page 1 the crowd and hand the Tide a

six-point victory. “After that interception, Saban said, ‘Let’s take a shot,’” Wilson said. “So of course, we threw it to Julio Jones. He

so they’re not so excited to see us there anymore, ‘you guys can find us on the road, but don’t come back to Tuscaloosa.’ We think they’re kidding but maybe not.

CW: What has Nick Saban’s return brought to the game this weekend? Corso: Well, I think it brings more for the fans than the players. The players don’t care if Attila the Hun is the coach. They don’t care. The first time a guy hits them in the mouth, it’s time to survive, so they don’t care about Saban. It’s all fan stuff and media stuff. Fowler: I understand [the fans’ hatred], but I don’t agree with it because it’s a business choice that he made. He never said anything disrespectful about LSU. He’s talked pretty fondly about his time here. Like Kirk said on the show, it didn’t work out in Miami, he wanted to come back to college, but this job wasn’t available. It wasn’t like he told LSU no. People take it personally, and I think part of the frustration probably has to do with the fact here he comes with the No. 1 team, and he turned it so quickly there. Howard: I think during the week, it’s going to play more of a factor than actually at the game. They may be a little more excited out of the gate, but once you get that first hit, second series, third series, you just get caught up in the flow of the game at that point. You don’t even give a damn who made a great play. It was a back shoulder ball; [he] made a great adjustment.” Jones had 128 yards on seven catches, including the

Jim Sigmon|ESPN College GameDay on ESPN from Austin, Texas (2006). Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and Chris Fowler on the set of the College GameDay demo field. Please credit photographs. the other coach is on the side, thought they should’ve been you’re just trying to stop the the No. 1 team in the country. team on field, as far as players Hopefully, they prove me right. Fowler: I would like to see are concerned. Alabama in a close game. I CW: What do you see out of would like to see them tested. Alabama this year? They jump out early so much, Howard: I like Alabama. I and they never have really don’t know how much you guys faced serious adversity. They pay attention to our broadcast, have played some close games, but I’ve been saying probably but the other team would come for at least five weeks that I up and get close to them like

Kentucky. They never had to, ‘OK, now it’s 7-0 down and here comes the noise.’ I think everybody has to withhold judgment about a team until you face that for the first time because it will happen, whether it’s here, the SEC Championship game, the National Championship game, somewhere they’re going to face that and how they come through it is going to say a lot.

touchdowns in 12 seconds to surrender the lead and the momentum. “My hat’s off to our players and the way the competed, but I wasn’t really pleased with the way we played in the first half,” Saban said. “We turned the ball over three times and missed a field goal … I thought we played a lot better in the second half.” The Tide matched LSU 7-7 in the second half. Despite punting away most of its possessions, Alabama didn’t turn the ball over again. The Tide grinded out the war of attrition to reach overtime and outlast the Tigers. “For the first time this season, we’ve had to come from behind, play the whole game and win in overtime,” Wilson said. “I think it was great for our team. Offensively, we didn’t play very well the whole game. We missed some shots and opportunities. The defense played great, and we were able to win.” Johnson led the defensive

harassment of red-shirt freshman Lee. Johnson picked off Lee three times, returning his second 54 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter, while the last one in overtime sent Lee and the rest of the LSU offense off the field for good. Johnson’s three interceptions tied the single-game Alabama record. Alabama missed on a late opportunity to stave off overtime and seal the game. LSU knotted the score 21-21 on a 1-yard run by Charles Scott with 6:12 left in the game. The two teams then traded punts, draining the clock in the process. Alabama got the ball back with just under two minutes remaining and orchestrated a seven-play drive to set up a potential game winning field goal with three seconds remaining. But LSU defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois blocked Leigh Tiffin’s 29-yard attempt to send the game into overtime. Many of the fans greeted Saban rudely during the game, but after the game, Saban maintained that he carried no ill-will toward the program he once coached. “The game is about the players, and it was a great college football game,” Saban said. “I know there may be some people that have a negative attitude, but I can say I really appreciate those people that spoke to me and welcomed me back here today … We have special memories of this place, and no one will tarnish those no matter what they do.” The win pushed Alabama to 10-0 (6-0 SEC) as the Tide avoided the quick-loss pitfall in its first week ranked No. 1 that several top-ranked teams have been plagued by this season. Saban continued to belabor the point that rankings and other external factors, such as once-undefeated Penn State’s loss to Iowa Saturday, as irrelevant to his team. “We are at about 19,000 feet. The mountain is 26,000 feet, and the air is changing a bit,” Saban said. “The air is a little rarer, and you have to change how you breathe sometimes, but you still have to focus on the task at hand. Because of that, if you slip up and don’t focus on what you are supposed to, the consequences can be devastating, even more so than when you are at 7,000 feet.”

all-important one in overtime, but the Tide relied on a strong ground game to stay in the physical game. Glen Coffee rushed for 126 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries. Wilson played the clean-up role deep in Tiger territory, accounting for two one-yard rushing touchdowns. Alabama had to battle back from a shaky offensive start to keep its undefeated record intact. Offensively, seven of the Tide’s first-half possessions failed to produce points, resulting in three punts, two fumbles, an interception and a missed field goal. Alabama did convert the other two drives into touchdowns to keep the game even at 14-14 heading into the locker room. Defensively, the Tide’s vaunted run defense allowed 154 rushing yards in the first half, struggling to contain the Tiger tailbacks between the hashes. After Alabama took an early 7-0 advantage, the defense gave up two